


After the Fall, What Comes Next?

by relanah_qahs



Series: Whumptober 2020 Turks Edition [4]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Angst, Attempted Murder, Blindfolded, Broken Bones, Buried Alive, Character Study, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt No Comfort, Kidnapping, Post-Advent Children (Compilation of FFVII), Post-Canon, Sensory Deprivation, Survivor Guilt, Turkstober2020, Whump, character backstory, drugged, poisoned, whumptober2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:42:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26787649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/relanah_qahs/pseuds/relanah_qahs
Summary: After everything--Sector 7, Meteor, Geostigma, and Rude leaving the Turks, Reno is left to reflect on his place in the world. Unfortunately, the victims of his past crimes have other plans for him.Chapters inspired by Whumptober 2020 prompts: no. 19 "Broken Hearts", no.22 "Do These Tacos Taste Funny to You?", no. 24 "You're Not Making Any Sense", and no.4 "Running Out of Time"
Relationships: Reno & Rude (Compilation of FFVII)
Series: Whumptober 2020 Turks Edition [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1912327
Comments: 11
Kudos: 8
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Broken Hearts

εγλ 0010 March 18. 9:15. Lower Junon.

Being under a city plate always elicited mixed emotions from Reno. On one hand, the undercity life gave him a strange sense of  _ home _ . Standing in Lower Junon, breathing in the polluted air and the dim atmosphere from the lack of sunlight, Reno couldn’t help but be reminded of his childhood days in Midgar’s Undercity slums. But on the other, a terrifying guilt overwhelmed him. The haunting memories of the Sector 7 Plate crashing down and killing the residents made his skin crawl and his breath shake. 

He was supposed to meet Rude for lunch today, but arrived far too early so Reno decided to walk around the city for a bit. It had been awhile since he last visited Junon. The last time must have been shortly after Meteorfall, when he was still clinging onto the hope of rebuilding Shinra. That hope never came to fruition, the WRO took over the needs that were once fulfilled by Shinra. Adjusting to work as a WRO Turk was a big adjustment--and it was especially difficult without Rude by his side. 

It was tough for Reno to believe he was now on the side that was rebuilding the world instead of actively destroying it. Looking around, he noticed that Lower Junon seemed cleaner than the last time he was here. The stench of mako radiation no longer choked the air, instead the smell of the ocean permeated throughout. What was once barren ground now had some patches of grass growing toward the few areas where direct sunlight shone through. Even the people seemed different; locals smiled and said, ‘Good morning,’ to him, kids played out on the empty street without the look of caution or fear in their eyes. But that was probably because he was out of his Turks uniform today. Without the notorious black suits that struck fear into the hearts of the populace, the suits that parents warned their kids about, Reno was just a normal guy in his jeans and loose sweater. 

_ What would Dad think of me now? _ Reno shuddered at the thought. Perhaps it was watching the children play that inspired this, or his reflecting on his new place in the world. He felt a pang of grief in his heart as memories of his father played through his mind. The good and the bad, his lively laugh and his cold, bloodied corpse. His mother walked out on them when he was just a baby, so he had no one else to look after him after his father was murdered. Veld took him in and trained him to be a Turk. 

Veld was Reno’s father figure throughout his teenage years. Reno loved him dearly, and would be forever grateful for the support and guidance Veld had given him. Although he understood the reason, Reno still felt genuinely hurt when Veld left. But by then he was paired up with Rude. 

Through everything, Rude was always by his side. Despite his tough appearance, Rude was actually thoughtful and sympathetic--that’s where his quiet demeanor came from. Rude had never meant to work for a criminal organization like the Turks, but the cruel hands of fate had pushed them together. But Reno was glad for it. Rude acted as a sort of morality anchor when the depravity of being Shinra’s lap dogs became too much. They spent every day of nearly a decade as partners together. Until the day Rude quit the Turks to work a boring office job here in Junon. And as with Veld, Reno understood Rude’s desire to change his life, but couldn’t help but feel abandonment and loneliness gnawing at his soul. 

Reno was trying everything he could to make this world a better place. But how could he possibly atone for the things he did in the name of Shinra? How many lives were lost because of his actions? All the blackmailing, kidnapping, and assassinations he performed under company orders...and the tens of thousands who were killed in Sector 7. His soul was corrupted and there was no way to make it pure, not after the havoc and destruction he caused. Reno had made the world a worse place for so many people. So who was he to try to make it better now? That didn’t stop him from trying. He joined the WRO and worked to save people and the planet--and he would continue to do so even though there was no hope of it ever evening out his sins in the end. 

Reno took a deep breath and walked along the road to the freight elevator. He had a few hours before Rude was free for lunch. Maybe he would take a walk along the pier and look out into the ocean, or check out a library, or go have some coffee and relax for a bit. Reno looked forward to the day, but didn’t ignore the grief plaguing his heart.


	2. Does This Taste Funny to You?

εγλ 0010 March 18. 11:00. Upper Junon.

  
Reno had spent the morning strolling along the boardwalk, taking in the sight of the ocean. The weather was beautiful with clear skies for the sun’s rays to warm him from the frigid air of winter’s last hold of this land. The sun reflected so brightly on the water Reno kept his sunglasses on—he didn’t wear his signature goggles when out of uniform. The water was so much cleaner than the last time he came here, no doubt thanks to the WRO’s projects to clean up Mako pollution. In the distance, he could see a pack of dolphins jumping through the waves. The other pedestrians along the boardwalk--some elderly power walkers, a young couple locked hand-in-hand, a family with small children--also stopped to gaze upon the majestic creatures. Their smiles and delighted voices at the sight of the healthy dolphins jumping merrily filled the atmosphere with a sweet happiness that affected even Reno’s mood. It was times like these, seeing the clear payoff of the WRO’s efforts to clean up the world and the relief it brought to the planet’s creatures and humans, that Reno felt confident that he was on the right path. While nothing would ever completely absolve him of his crimes, he still had a role to play in rebuilding the ruins he helped create.

* * *

After his walk, Reno headed over to the shopping district. He browsed through a quaint little used bookstore and ended up buying two trashy romance novels (a genre he was secretly a huge sucker for, a fact that greatly amused Rude when he found out). Something easy to read to distract him while he waited for Rude and for the bus ride back to Edge later. He found a cozy little cafe situated nearby called  _ The Laughing Dolphin _ which seemed like a nice place to kill time--a short walk way from the pier with a beautiful view of the bay from its third story dining area. 

“Just a plain, medium hot coffee, please.”

The barista was a young man in a slightly spiked hairstyle that was trendy with the youth these days. He gave Reno a sweet, but polite and professional smile. “Okay, we can do that!” he said cheerfully. “Will that be for here or to go?” 

“For here. I’ve actually got some time to kill until my appointment, so I’ll be here for awhile if that’s alright.” 

“It’s definitely no problem at all. So a medium size coffee will be 15 gil please.”

Reno handed the barista his debit card, specially issued by the WRO’s finance division. The young man paused to examine it before swiping. “WRO, huh? You with them?”

Reno quickly averted his eyes away. “Yeah, that’s right,” he mumbled. His new job wasn’t something he wanted to discuss with a complete stranger.

“Well then, thanks for your service. Junon has been a much nicer city ever since the WRO came and cleaned everything up.” The barista’s appreciation seemed sincere, and his brief comment and lack of questions gave Reno some relief. “Can I get a name for your order?” 

“It’s Reno.”

A pause. The young man’s smile faded as he looked up from the register and stared into Reno’s eyes. But just as quickly as it disappeared, the smile soon splashed across his face. “Reno, huh? Never heard that one before. It’s nice.” He quickly re-focused his attention to the register to print out the receipt. “So have a seat wherever you want. We’ll bring it over to you.” 

Reno chose a comfy-looking armchair at the large window that had the view above the streets and the bay out into the distance. He took a minute to watch the people down below and out in the distance where there were some fishing boats out as well as another pack of dolphins. He relaxed into this chair and broke open into his book and mindlessly absorbed the first chapter. He had already finished the first chapter when he realized he hadn’t gotten his coffee yet. Oh well, maybe they were busy. There were some other people here who looked like they might be in a hurry. Besides, he had nothing to do but wait anyway. Almost as soon as he realized how long he had waited, a waitress with purple hair and a nose piercing brought him his coffee in a large, dark blue mug.

“Coffee for Reno?” She said in a cheerful sing-song tone as she leaned over and placed the mug onto the table beside him.

“Yeah, that’s me. That’s a medium size? Wasn’t expecting it to be that big.”

“Oh we actually upgraded it to a large size. Don’t worry, it’s on us. It’s a thank you present for a helpful WRO agent.” 

Reno’s face warmed with embarrassment, but he graciously took the coffee from the smiling woman. He relaxed back into his chair and sipped his coffee, which tasted delicious. It was just the right temperature, hot enough to warm his body but not so hot to burn his mouth. He continued on with his reading while sipping on his drink. 

He had only read a few pages when he was interrupted.

“Excuse me,” said a young woman with blonde hair wearing a pale pink coat stood by the armchair directly next to him. “May I sit here?” Reno nodded and she sat herself comfortably beside him. The chairs were too close to each other, he could almost feel the fabric of her coat brushing against the arm of his sweater. “Nice day, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is,” he mumbled. He wasn’t really in the mood for small talk, but somehow he had the feeling this girl would insist.

She continued. “The air is so clear we can actually see the dolphins out today. Have you seen them?”

“Yeah, this morning actually.” Reno closed his book and took another gulp of his coffee. He should at least try to be polite. No need for trouble before seeing Rude. “I got here early and took a walk along the boardwalk and they were out in full force.”

“Are you from around here?”

“No. Just here for a visit.”

“Where are you from?” she smiled as she asked with a slight tilt of her head. An innocent question, but one Reno had to answer carefully. He was out of his Turks uniform, so he could at least pretend to be a normal citizen today.

“I grew up in Midgar.”  _ Just like a few million other people did. _

“Oh, me too! What sector?” 

“Three.” That’s where he was born and raised until Veld took him in and brought him topside. “In the Undercity.”

“I see…” The girl sipped her own latte while continuing to look towards Reno as he poured another gulp down his throat. “I’m Trisha by the way.” Reno simply nodded and looked back to the horizon. Trisha sighed after a brief awkward pause. “You ever miss home? It’s a shame Midgar is mostly ruins now. I heard it’s mostly just old soldiers and vagrants still there.”

“A little bit.” Reno felt his eyelids droop and a wave of exhaustion pass through him. It’s been a long day.  _ Good thing I got extra caffeine _ , he thought as he drank his coffee again. 

“So what did you do before you joined WRO?” Trisha asked.

“I worked for Shinr _ aaaa”  _ A deep yawn escaped his mouth. “Sorry about that. I’ve been up since five this morning, then I had a three-hour bus ride here from Edge.”

“It’s alright. Have some coffee, Reno. That should wake you up.” 

“Ha! You’re right about that.” Reno took another swig, nearing the end of his mug. 

Trisha gave a soft giggle. “So what department did you work for?”

“Administrative research.”  _ Technically the truth. _

“I see. Very interesting work. My dad was actually a Shinra employee too. He was an engineer. Maybe you ran into him at some point. Gods, he would have loved to see the dolphins out there today.”

Reno felt a chill aching through his body, a cold sweat forming at his brow. His muscles relaxed and melted into his chair.

Trisha continued. “I miss him so much. The last time I saw him, I was such a brat. I ran away from home over something so stupid. And just like that he was gone. I regret it every single day and probably will for the rest of my life. Do you have regrets, Reno?”

His breathing was erratic as a painful cramp erupted through his stomach.  _ I never told you my name. _ Panic seized him at the realization that Trisha was more than she seemed, and that he was powerless to defend himself now. He looked down into his mug to see specks of white powder clouding the bottom. The cafe staff were probably in on this too.  _ I really shoulda saw this comin’.  _

Trisha’s smile was long gone, a quiet rage in her eyes replaced any sense of cheerfulness that she conveyed earlier. “ _ Do you regret what you did to our home, Reno? Do you regret what happened at Sector Seven?” _

_ “Shit.”  _ Reno muttered as everything faded to darkness.


	3. You’re Not Making Any Sense

εγλ 0010 March 18. ??:??. Somewhere in Junon.

Reno’s head was spinning and pain throbbed in his temples as he finally came to. His breath shaking, he needed to focus his vision in order to make sense of his surroundings in the small, dimly-lit room. The ache in his shoulder and the tender skin on his wrists revealed that he was restrained to a wooden chair, his arms bound tightly behind him. Reno groaned from pain and irritation. This wasn’t supposed to happen, he was supposed to have a good day with Rude. Instead he was drugged and kidnapped by some city thugs.  _ This is fine. Nothing I can’t handle, _ he assured himself, but a small twinge of fear arose in him. He wiggled his fingers ever so slightly, feeling the ties of the rope restraining him, studying intently to find a loose thread to free himself.

Reno winced as a splash of ice-cold water stung his face. He shook his head to get the water away from his eyes. “Good morning to you too, asshole.” 

A familiar young man stood in front of Reno, his eyes burning with anger as he overlooked his captive. “Finally, you’re awake. Just in time for us.” The man was quickly joined by others--the waitress with the purple hair and nose piercing, the girl who chatted him up at the cafe named Trisha, and three other people whom Reno didn’t recognize. Mixed emotions were present in the crowd; mostly anger, but the purple-haired girl was smiling devilishly while Trisha’s eyes were downcast, purposefully avoiding eye contact with Reno. “Do you know who we are, Reno?”

_ Six against one, huh? Might be tough, but I’ve been through worse.  _ Reno resumed feeling the rope against his fingers as he answered his captors. “Yeah, I know you. You’re the dumbass barista who gave me a large decaf even though I ordered a regular.”  _ Smack. _ The combination of the cold water and the hard slap from the blonde man stung Reno’s face all the more, yet he was determined to keep his facial expression neutral. “Alright, you got me. I have no idea who you are or why you drugged me and tied me up here. Would ya mind enlightening me?”

“We’re with AVALANCHE,” said the purple-haired girl. “And we know you were the one who destroyed Sector 7 three years ago. It’s time for you to pay for what you did.” 

Reno snorted and burst out a fit of laughter despite his predicament. “ _ Ha!  _ AVALANCHE, huh? That’s fucking hilarious! You’re just hiding out in that crappy little coffee shop and playing vigilante! How original. Which AVALANCHE group? You with Wallace or Fuhito? ‘Cause I’ve got some bad news for you guys. While you’re playing pretend hero, the rest of the former Avalanchies are either dead or they work with me at WRO.” 

“Shut up!” shouted the young man, holding a hammer threateningly to Reno’s face. “We’re in charge here, and you’re gonna get what’s coming to you.”

“Oh? And what exactly do you plan on doing?” Reno stared into his eyes menacingly, recalling his years of training for psychologically intimidating his opponents in situations just like this. He resumed subtly picking at the rope at his right hand, looking for an opening. “In case you forgot, I’m a WRO agent now. You know, the organization you were singing praises to this morning? The ones who cleaned up your city so you can see your stupid little dolphins from your window? I’m a valuable asset to them, so if you kill me they’re gonna notice. And they’re gonna come looking around and they’re gonna find you. Did you think that far ahead?  _ Ah!”  _

Screams erupted from Reno’s throat as the young man pounded his right hand with the hammer, shattering the bones within. The burning pain radiated through his arm and up his spine, eliciting involuntary screams that faded into sobs and whimpers. “ _ What the fuck, man?  _ Those were my bowling fingers!” 

“Why the hell should we trust WRO anymore? Knowing they employ mass murderers in their ranks!” 

One of the assailants roughly pulled a blindfold over Reno’s eyes and tied it behind his head as tightly as they could. Then the heavy earmuffs, designed for shooting ranges and other loud equipment were snapped onto his head. Reno could barely hear their hushed voices, but couldn’t understand any of their words. He was left alone in darkness and silence, with no escape from the agony from the broken bones in his hand. He could feel sobs threatening to escape his throat, but he was determined to not let this enemy know his fear or pain. This certainly wasn’t the worst interrogation he had ever faced; the Turks were Shinra’s toughest mercenaries after all. He had come across actual criminals with way more skill and menace than these pathetic wannabe vigilantes could ever possess.

But this was different. In those other episodes, he could always trust his partner to save him. Reno was able to count on Rude to know where he was and to come to his rescue at just the right time. Not today. Rude would have no idea where Reno was. Hell, he was probably sitting at the restaurant right now wondering where his former partner was. A pang of regret and sadness suddenly overwhelmed Reno at the thought of Rude sitting alone wondering if his friend had ditched him. Another wave of sadness and fear rushed through at the crippling realization that there was no way out of this. Even if he could manage to free himself from this chair, he couldn’t fight back. He didn’t have his weapon or materia, and the drugs were still making him sluggish and nauseous. He had no chance at hand-to-hand combat against six other people in his condition. 

After everything he had been through, his life as a Turk, the most feared individuals in Shinra, it was all going to end at the hands of some dumbass punks pretending to be heroes. Damn, wasn’t that pathetic? 

How much time had passed as he sat there deprived of senses save for the dulling pain? Too much, it was getting uncomfortable. Reno had to say something--anything to get them to at least take the blindfold off him.

“ _ Hey! _ ” He yelled trying to hear his own voice. “I gotta tell you something. You might wanna hear it. Get these stupid things off me and I’ll tell ya.”

A brief moment passed until Reno felt the earmuffs sliding off him and the sense of relief from the weight being lifted off his aching head.

“What is it?” he heard the girl ask. 

“Get the blindfold off too and then I’ll talk.”

“I can’t do that.”

“ _ Tch, _ fine.” If this was the best he had to work with, Reno would make the most of it. “It’s not just me you’re after. You see, I got this friend. He’s a real tough guy. Has been through some shit, but it’s all made him stronger. Anyway he’s a former soldier and he has seen and done everything that comes with the job. He survived mustard gas and has been pepper-sprayed. You could say he’s a seasoned veteran.” 

_ Slap! _ Her rings and long fingernails cut Reno’s cheeks and lip as she smacked him. 

“Geez, tough crowd!” Reno howled in a mixture of pain and laughter as the earmuffs were tightened back onto his head. He took a moment to catch his breath before speaking again. “Hey, I got another one for you. You’re gonna love this one. What has four letters, sometimes has nine, and never has five.” 

Reno counted as he smirked. Ten seconds, thirty, a minute, then suddenly the impact of someone’s fist slammed into his face. Reno spat out the blood he drew from biting his tongue and dropped his jaw to catch a breath. The burning sensation indicated his nose might be broken. 

“Damn, took you long enough to get that one.” Reno said in between groans.

Finally, the earmuffs and the blindfold were removed. The sudden shift to noise and sight heightened his senses and further agitated the pain in his hand and face. 

The purple-haired girl, her eyes exploding with rage, was inches away from Reno’s face. “Are you ready to say it now?” 

“Say what exactly? You already know who I am and what I did. This is seriously the most pathetic interrogation I have ever been through, even the Wutai Girl Scouts were more competent than this!” 

“Say you’re sorry! Acknowledge the pain and devastation you created! You took everything from us! Because of you, my mom, my little brother, my grandma, they were all crushed to death in Sector 7. Because of you, I don’t have a family anymore! You ruined all our lives, Reno! It’s like it was fate for you to walk into our store today. You, of all people, just happen to stop by our place unarmed. We have to take this opportunity to get our revenge!” 

While the girl spoke, Reno made brief eye contact with Trisha whose eyes were filled with tears threatening to overflow before she blinked and looked to the floor. Reno sharply turned his head back to the young man, his breathing heavy with pain and heightened emotions. 

“You talk about it like I had any say in my orders back then. We didn’t have a choice, we had the threat of execution hanging above our heads. I knew how fucked up it was, but there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. If I hadn’t done it, they would have gotten some other poor sap to drop the plate. It wouldn’t have mattered if I sacrificed myself, all those people would still be dead.” Reno looked around the room, focusing on no one in particular before hanging his head to blink back the tears that were starting to form. “You don’t know what it’s like. I would never, ever wish this pain and regret on anyone in this world. Not on my worst enemies, not even on you bastards. Every single fucking day I hear them: Their screams, the screeching of the plates, the crash as it all falls down.”

“Shut up!” said the blonde man as he grabbed a fistful of Reno’s hair and yanked his head back. “Are you seriously trying to get us to feel sorry for you? Your regrets and pain are nothing compared to the pain you inflicted on Sector 7!”

“I’m not looking for sympathy, you dumb fuck, I’m just telling you the truth. If you’re trying to get me to repent, you’re shit outta luck because there’s no fucking way I can atone for that! I’ve already punched my ticket to Hell. Doesn’t matter if you kill me today, the end will be the same for me with or without your help. All you’ll be doing is depriving the WRO of one of their top agents. And they’re gonna find you! What are you gonna tell the former director of the Turks when he finds out you killed his second in command?” 

The boy quickly let go and stepped back. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” said Reno as he scanned the worried faces of his captors. “You didn’t think about that, did you? If ya let me go, I’ll pretend this never happened. You can go about your lives selling shitty espresso and I won’t tell the big wigs at WRO about your little vigilante operation. Sound like a deal to you?” 

“That’s enough!” The shriek came Trisha. Everything moved in slow motion. She pushed the other captor away and pressed a small revolver against Reno’s forehead. Strange. He felt himself actually calm down, as if he suddenly felt the weight and weariness of years of constant fighting come crashing down on him.  _ Let it end. _

“Go ahead, Trisha.” Reno spoke so softly it was nearly a whisper. Tears streamed down her face, but she didn’t react or move at all. “Go ahead, put an end to me. The only one who will hurt is you. You wanna know something? I’ve been in your situation before. As soon as I became a Turk, I tracked down the man who murdered my father and beat him to death with my EMR. It didn’t get better, I sunk deeper and deeper into sin and darkness until I couldn’t find my way back to the light. So consider that before you shoot me. You’ll free me of all the pain and guilt I feel but you’ll be left with your own. So from one poor dad-less sap to another, I hope you can understand the choice you’re about to make.” 

Nobody moved for what felt like an eternity as they anticipated the explosion of the gunshot. But it never came. Trisha lowered the gun and ran out of the room. 

Reno had no time to process the situation as something heavy had slammed into his skull, knocking him back into unconsciousness. 


	4. Running Out of Time

εγλ 0010 March 18. 13:30. Upper Junon. 

Rude calmly took a sip of his drink and released a heavy sigh. He slumped a bit in his chair, a fist resting on the table. It was like Reno to be late—ten minutes, fifteen, even twenty was understandable with his erratic personality. But it was approaching an hour past the agreed upon meeting time, and there was still no word from him. Rude was certain he gave the right address to the restaurant, and Reno was certainly familiar with this city even if it had been a few years since he last visited.

Rude could feel the sympathetic glance from the waitress as she refilled his glass with iced tea, probably assuming Rude was some poor bloke whose date stood him up. Other people would come to that conclusion, but Reno and Rude weren’t like other people. Rude knew that Reno would never miss a chance to hang out and reminisce with his dearest friend. They had been partners for nearly ten years, knowing each other’s personalities and quirks intimately, closer than even most siblings could achieve. No, something else was keeping Reno away, Rude could feel it in his gut. A sinking feeling inside him that told him something was wrong. Reno must have been in some kind of trouble (it certainly wouldn’t have been the first time). Rude paid the small bill for the iced tea and purposefully walked out of the restaurant.  _ Time to get to work,  _ the former Turk thought as he slid his familiar sunglasses on.

* * *

εγλ 0010 March 18. ??:?? Early evening?. Somewhere outside Junon.

Reno’s pathetic groans echoed through the concrete pit he was buried in Pain wracked through his body; the burning sensation emanating from the broken bones through his arms, legs, and nose faded in and out, as if his nervous system could only process so much traumatic stimulus all at once. It was cold, and as night approached, it would only get colder. Here he was, trapped underneath some urban ruins somewhere outside of Junon. He was barely awake when his kidnappers had tossed him down into this pit and buried him alive. But now he was fully awake and conscious of the pain and severity of the situation he was in. 

He wasn’t dead now, but he surely would be within the next few days. He couldn’t even move due to the injuries he had sustained from the beatings from the AVALANCHE-wannabe kids, there was no way he could move the rubble to free himself. The broken bones, the incoming freezing temperature of early spring nights, starvation, dehydration. And he was all alone. His friends and allies had no idea where he was. Reno shuddered as the list of what he was to suffer through ran through his mind. A fitting punishment, this was exactly the fate Reno himself had condemned hundreds, if not thousands, of poor souls to on that day three years ago. The lucky ones were crushed instantly, but most suffered for days underneath the rubble until they succumbed and died from their injuries and exposure to Mako radiation. And now, it seemed Karma had finally caught up to Reno. 

_ Let it end _ . That was Reno’s thought when Trisha held the gun to his head earlier that day. He meant it then and he meant it now. But the sweet embrace of death wouldn’t come for him just yet, he was going to have to suffer for a while first to atone. But an even worse realization materialized: What if those kids had managed to kill him and now he was in Hell? He knew some people believed that when people die, they experience a sort of “final reckoning.” As their spirit energy dissolves into the lifestream, their mind loses all sense of time and they’re made to experience the reward or punishment from the virtues or sins of their life. Yeah, that sounded right. This was definitely Hell, a just reward for all the crimes against humanity he had committed as a Turk and an overall terrible human being. No amount of good he ever did for Shinra or for WRO could ever save him from this fate. He was right, it didn’t matter if Trisha’s friends had killed him or spared him. Reno would meet the same end.

How much time had passed? The sun was nearly set and the darkness would settle around him. He cried. He groaned in pain and cursed at the top of his lungs.  _ Fuck, fuck, fuck, damn it all!  _ Reno was on his way to obliteration, but he didn’t have to go out quietly. 

Reno felt a rumble above him,  _ footsteps? _ Was someone really here? He groaned louder in a desperate hope that the person above could end this nightmare. 

“ _ Hey, I’m here! Hang tight, Reno! I’ll get you out.” _ The familiar voice filled with Reno with an overwhelming sense of relief. Even though they weren’t Turks anymore, they were still partners. A bond so strong nothing could break it; not rubble, not Karma, nor any kind of divine retribution. Despite overwhelming odds, Rude was here, lifting away the rubble and uncovering Reno’s pathetic form. 

“Hey Rude!” said Reno, the relief in his voice rising above the pain. “Hey sorry I missed lunch. How’d you find me?”

Rude sighed and shook his head. “It wasn’t easy.” 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished Whumptober, and it only took me until mid November.  
> I was planning more for this chapter, but I thought it ended well here and I wanted to finish this up so I can work on the next big thing.  
> Thank you to everyone who has left kudos and support while writing. Until next time, peace out.


End file.
